You hear it in the media. You hear it from your doctor. Hey, you have even heard if in this blog. Physical activity is good for you. Physical activity is good for everyone. But not everyone is so keen on cycling to work or taking the stairs instead of the lift, let alone go the gym three times per week. So numerous interventions to promote physical activity have been designed. The implementation of interventions, however, is strongly dependent on policies, which might differ from one case to another. As Alfred Rütten has written a couple of years ago in our journal, we need to focus on the evidence of the policy process and in particular on the links between policy determinants and policy outcomes.
In a study just published in IJPH *, the authors tried to do just that: to define key factors of effective evidence-based policy implementation for physical activity promotion. They contacted interviews in organisations for implementing the 10,000 steps program in Belgium and identified factors that support successful implementation, as well as factors that do not support successful implementation.
So how could you facilitate the implementation of a physical activity intervention? Here are some important points!
1. Give political motive: political support helps! An engaged mayor, for instance, could make a difference
2. Have a good understanding of the region:
3. Have formal contracts between partners!
4. Look for partners that are committed and have qualified staff
5. Invest in strong leadership
But above all, what this study showed is that a crucial factor in the successful (or not) implementation of the intervention was personal contact: it could be your key to success or failure!
What do you think of these factors? What else do you think is important on a partnership level for successfully implementing a physical activity intervention? Share your views!
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* This study was conducted by Steffie Lucidarme, Mathieu Marlier, Greet Cardon, Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij and Annick Willem
** picture credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfataustralianaid/
Thanks again for the blog article.Much thanks again. Really Cool.